Counting Blue Cars (Rowena)

[geethanjali amaryllis root]

June 2, 2026

It felt a little bit like trespassing to be walking into the Minister for Magic's office, Geethanjali thought, except the Minister was now none other than her own Aunt Rowena. Having felt the need to dress up for the occasion, Geethanjali was wearing a set of royal blue dress robes and gold-colored stiletto sandals. The sandals were harder to walk in than she expected, however, especially once her parents had given her the go-ahead to walk with one of the members of her aunt's security detail to the office itself.

There, seated at what was now her desk, was her aunt and the newest leader of their magical government, Rowena Root. As much as she wanted to look around at the office itself, Geethanjali beamed at her aunt, glad that the timing hadn't been such that the full moon had gotten in the way of being able to celebrate such a massive accomplishment.

"Hello, Madam Minister," Geethanjali greeted her aunt, trying—and failing—to keep a straight face as she spoke. She would have called Rowena "Auntie Row" otherwise, and it sounded so funny to be so formal with her. It was still unbelievable that her aunt now occupied the most important office in the entire Ministry of Magic, but there she was.

@rowena

[Deleted]

June 2, 2026
geethanjali amaryllis root

Rowena had several meetings today. A great deal was happening all at once that, unfortunately, couldn't wait. She had to hit the ground running, you could say. She was inheriting quite the mess after all! Plus the recent events of Hogwarts required immediate action and decisions where more then a day was too long. Though, thankfully, she'd managed to find a few hours currently in which she wasn't rushing off to another meeting. A few hours where she could work through paperwork, and get caught up on all the events of the Ministry, and also finish setting up her office. Her office, to no surprise, was a bit of mayhem as she organized everything the way she wanted. She was still in the phase of going through everything left from her predecessors to decide what to keep or get rid of. She had brought in one thing already though. A large terrarium of sorts, with delicate metal work over the glass to make beautiful floral patterns. Inside was vibrant green plant life, and anything else it's residents might need. And the residents? A number of butterflies, of course.

Rowena was sitting behind her desk, holding up a memo up as she read. It was a report of the most recent assessment of Hogwarts. According to the report only about a third of the school was structurally sound though that didn't mean it was useable in it's current state. It would take quite a bit of repairs to be suitable for use. She pinched the bridge of her nose and leaned back in her chair. She needed to meet with the head of education later today, if possible.

That was when the door of her office opened. Rowena lowered her hand from her face and set the memo down on the desk. When she saw who it was though she smiled, the smile widening as her niece spoke. "That's awfully formal," she answered. "You aren't trying to butter me up before asking for something, are you?" She teased lightly.

[geethanjali amaryllis root]

June 2, 2026

Hearing her aunt tease her about her sudden formality made Geethanjali's grin widen. "You aren't trying to butter me up before asking for something, are you?" she asked. Geethanjali didn't have any plans to ask anything of her aunt—and she knew that she must have been incredibly busy with her new role—but she knew that Rowena wasn't exactly wrong for asking her if she was looking to get something out of being there.

"I am not," Geethanjali assured her aunt, though her laughter probably made it seem like she wasn't serious about that, even though she was. "I only wanted to be the first to see your new office," she explained, though she was more concerned with looking down occasionally to watch her footing as she made her way to her aunt's desk than with looking around her office. Really, Geethanjali was mostly relieved not to have tripped. "And I wanted to see my favorite aunt," she added of Rowena. That was true, of course. She had a soft spot for Rowena because of the fact that she had never treated her any differently for being a werewolf, and she knew that that meant that things might get better for her and people like her with someone like her Aunt Rowena in charge of the Ministry.

@rowena

[Deleted]

June 2, 2026
geethanjali amaryllis root

Rowena loved all her nieces and nephews. She hadn't had any children of her own (and the likelihood of having any seemed rather bleak) so she instead chose to spoil and love her siblings' children. So, she couldn't help but chuckle at her niece's rather questionable response. She was sure the girl wouldn't actually be after anything though. "There isn't much to see currently," she started to answer, pausing momentarily. "I've still a lot of work to do before it feels like my office," she finished. Though, at least the terrarium helped, the office in it's current state didn't match her personality much. With a wave of her hand the papers scattered across her desk and one of the chairs sprung into the air and neatly stacked itself on a corner of her desk.

"Would you like some tea? Perhaps some cookies. I was in Italy over the weekend and your grandmother sneaked some into my bag," Many of the Roots had moved to Italy over the years. With becoming Minister Rowena knew traveling to Italy might not be as frequent, so she'd taken the opportunity to visit their relatives before her appointment had been announced.

The Roots, in general, were a rather odd family. While of druid descent they'd intermarried with witches and wizards ever since Rowena's great Grandmother who had married a wizard that had converted to druidism. It had made acceptance of Geethanjali's lycanthropy much easier to accept (though of course there were some that still found it difficult). Rowena, however, had never questioned it. While often mocked for it, Rowena was an incredibly open minded individual. It was partially why she'd done so well as a diplomat. She was able to accept new concepts with ease and adapt. "Favorite? You better hope Regina and Delilah don't hear you talk like that," she answered with a smile. "But that's a title I'll happily accept."

Now that she was thinking about it, it had been a while since she spent one on one time with her niece. It had been quite difficult to find time to spend with the family recently because of all of the international matters. As she'd been at the International Confederation of Wizards it had made it hard to get time off. While being Minister would probably have just as much work, at least she wasn't stationed in mainland Europe and could come home at the end of the day.

[geethanjali amaryllis root]

June 2, 2026

As she looked around at her aunt's office, Geethanjali could see that she was right. It wasn't overly exciting in itself, though Geethanjali saw the terrarium that her aunt had brought in already. There were butterflies in it, naturally. Her Aunt Rowena said that she still had a lot of work to do before the office felt like hers, and Geethanjali nodded despite having no reference for what it had looked like under Minister Krum.

Rowena offered her tea and biscuits from Italy, and Geethanjali couldn't help feeling a little bit jealous that her aunt had gone to Italy the previous weekend. With so many of their relatives living in Italy and the likelihood that Rowena's schedule wouldn't allow her to visit them as much, it made sense.

Despite the fact that she had just offered her food and drink, Rowena seemed to question that she was really Geethanjali's favorite, rather than her aunts Madeline and Delilah. "But that's a title I'll happily accept," she added.

Geethanjali moved closer to where Rowena was sitting, draping her arms around her aunt's shoulders. "I haven't seen you since I got back from Hogwarts, Auntie Row," she reminded her, not wanting to dwell on how terrifying her last few hours at Hogwarts had been before returning home to Ireland. Even if she hadn't become Minister, it would have been hard to see her. "But I've already told my dad and J.J. that I won't go all summer without seeing you," she added. She only had so many weeks before she would have to return to school—or what was left of it. Fortunately, that time included her fifteenth birthday in July (not that she had big plans for the occasion) and two Druid holidays, Litha and Lughnasadh.

@rowena

[Deleted]

June 2, 2026
geethanjali amaryllis root

Hogwarts. Rowena didn't want to think about it but she was very aware of the fact that two of her brother's children had been at Hogwarts during the fight only a few short weeks before. Rowena turned in her chair as Geethanjali moved around the desk and draped her arms around her aunt. Rowena didn't move for a moment, silently lost in thought over the event her niece had mentioned. After another moment of contemplation, Rowena sighed, shook her head, and embraced her niece back. Though she also took that moment to completely shift positions. Rising from her seat and turning so that Geethanjali stood where the chair was. With a gentle push she forced her niece to take the chair she'd been occupying only a moment before. "You haven't seen me far longer then that," she reminded Geethanjali. Likely Christmas was the last time? The girl had been at school since Christmas break and Rowena had been navigating the delicate international issue of Yrisle.

Rowena leaned against her desk, folding her arms across her chest. She couldn't help but smile a little at her niece's words. "You make it sound like your parents would keep you from visiting," she commented. Thought no doubt her parents were quite worried considering recent events. The education situation was still a hot topic with no definite decisions yet and would no doubt be taking up a considerable amount of her time. Rowena was acutely aware of how cautious she needed to be in these decisions. She wasn't just playing with the future of a bunch of nameless children, after all. It was the future of her brother's children. "Don't be too hard on them if they are overprotective this summer, Geethanjali. Your parents want you to be safe, especially with recent events," she added. Though Geethanjali wasn't a bad kid she knew all teenagers could have a rebellious side. She could only hope that her brother and his spouse wouldn't bring out that rebelliousness by being too cautious.

[geethanjali amaryllis root]

June 2, 2026

Geethanjali could tell that her aunt was stressed already. Even though it was clear that she was trying to downplay it, Geethanjali knew. She had attended Hogwarts through everything Elaine and her followers had done, and she wasn't as naïve to it as some of the adults in her life probably assumed her to be. Moving so that the two of them switched positions, with Geethanjali seated in her aunt's chair, Rowena added that it had been longer than a few weeks since they had last seen each other.

Rowena also mentioned that Geethanjali had made it sound as though her parents would keep her from visiting, and Geethanjali shook her head. It wasn't that she thought for a second that her parents wouldn't allow her to see her aunt; it was that she thought her aunt's schedule wouldn't allow it. "I meant because you're busy," Geethanjali pointed out. She had never really known a time when Aunt Rowena hadn't been busy with work in some capacity, but it was all the more stressful—as her aunt put it—"with recent events".

She also knew that it wasn't her aunt's fault. She'd read enough of the news about Minister Krum to know that he had left a mess behind for Rowena to clean up. She'd only been the new Minister for Magic for barely a day, yet Geethanjali knew that that wouldn't stop people from expecting that she had some immediate solution to everything that had happened that Krum had failed to address. "It's Minister Krum's fault, though, so don't think it's yours. A 'crisis of governance' or something," she stated plainly with a little shrug. "We got the Prophet at school."

@rowena

[Deleted]

June 2, 2026
geethanjali amaryllis root

Rowena smiled down at her niece as she corrected herself. Of course, Rowena would be busy. You didn't become minister and expect it to be all fun and games. It would be a lot of work, especially considering the mess she was inheriting. "I suppose I will be quite busy," she answered. "But, you forget that I now don't have to travel to Russia for work," she added. She'd be able to come home at the end of each day, and find little bits of time to spend with family. Yes, it would be plenty of work, but she wasn't on the other side of Europe from her family. She winked at her niece. "If anything you'll be seeing quite a bit more of me."

Though she was surprised by Geethanjali's next words, mentioning Krum, and a crisis of governance. It hadn't realized her niece as even paying that close of attention to the news, even if the Daily Prophet was being delivered to Hogwarts. Though she didn't know if she liked her niece knowing that Rowena was inheriting a huge mess, there was also a moment of absolute pride. Rowena was, after all, a Politian. She was of the mindset people should educate themselves of current issues. "Regardless of whose fault it is, I must take ownership of it," she started to explain. "Politics can be tricky like that. Whether it's yours or not, if you are in the position to resolve it, it becomes your responsibility. It's what you do with the newfound ownership that is most important."

Though, as politics had been brought up. She was curious. "What do you think I should do first, Geethanjali?" It was always interesting to get the perspectives of others. Was her niece mature enough to try and identify the immediate problems?

[geethanjali amaryllis root]

June 2, 2026

Hearing her Aunt Rowena's explanation that it didn't matter who had made the mess because she still had to take ownership of it frustrated Geethanjali. It wasn't fair, in her opinion, that her aunt had to take the blame for things she hadn't even done. There was plenty that not even the late Minister Granger had been able to address before she was killed, though at least she had been good about some things, like working to increase people's rights. Minister Krum only really seemed to know about Quidditch, and that hadn't translated well to being Minister.

What she didn't expect was for her aunt to ask her what she should do first. Geethanjali paused in thought. There were definitely Department Heads to talk to about that kind of thing. Those were their jobs, but Geethanjali knew that her Aunt Rowena knew that she had to talk to them, if she hadn't started the process of doing so. She didn't have to get the input of her teenage niece, yet she had asked her.

It was such a tough question that Geethanjali felt as though she were back in a lesson at school. Speaking of school, there was Hogwarts most recently, of course, and all of the losses that had occurred with its destruction—not to mention finding out how Elaine Dupree had been able to go undetected despite being one of the Ministry's most wanted criminals. And even if they had found her before then, which they hadn't, Azkaban hadn't been rebuilt…

And speaking of things that hadn't been rebuilt, the Druids on Hy-Brasil still didn't have a proper barrier in place, one that was as strong as the one that they had had before. There was the island that had shown up after the first of the year that was possibly Yrisle, and that went back to the Druids, too. Obviously, given Rowena's being a quarter Druid, the Druids on Hy-Brasil were going to expect her to stand up for their interests more than Minister Krum had. (Geethanjali didn't think that that would be very hard to do, in all honesty.) It made sense that she should reassure them, considering how much they didn't always trust the Ministry for everything that previous Ministers had done, but then people would say that she was focused too much on the Druids and not everyone else.

If things weren't so messy, Geethanjali would have been inclined to mention something about protections for werewolves, because she did hope that her Aunt Rowena would make sure to quash any anti-werewolf legislation that came up while she was in office. It seemed a little selfish, though, considering how many people had died at Hogwarts. In just the few weeks that she had been home, Geethanjali had overheard J.J. talking about how they thought that the families of all the students who had died over the past few years really ought to do something to reform the Hogwarts Board of Governors.

Honestly, Geethanjali didn't know much about how that worked. The Board of Governors were just a bunch of rich people who couldn't even be bothered to see what Hogwarts was actually like for the people who spent the majority of their time there, as far as she was concerned, and it didn't make sense to her that they were the ones who had authority over even their teachers.

Not wanting to leave her aunt waiting forever for an answer, though, Geethanjali kept thinking, and then a sudden thought hit her. "Oh! Did you speak with the Muggle Prime Minister yet?" she asked. Above all else, that seemed like an important place to start, especially considering that the Muggle Prime Minister was supposed to be one of the few exceptions to the people who could know about magic outside of the magical world.

@rowena

[Deleted]

June 2, 2026
geethanjali amaryllis root

Rowena had known, going into becoming minister, that she'd never be able to make everyone happy. There would always be people dissatisfied with her term, or actions. A leader couldn't please everyone. No minster in recent years had been able to unite the magical world a a whole, even Kingsley. While many praised his work after the war, many druids, including Rowena's great grandmother, had been very unhappy with his term. Then, there'd been the minister not even worth mentioning that died a few months into his term, then the child minister that ran away with her tail tucked between her legs. Granger-Weasley had been a good minister, but lacked the initiative needed to serve during war times, and Krum had just been a man of total inaction. Considering that track record... Well, Rowena was sure she could do better then at least a few of those ministers.

Rowena wasn't sure what she expected Geethanjali to say in response to her question, but silence hadn't been one of the options. But it almost... made Rowena proud. Her niece wasn't just blurting out an answer and running with it. No, you could see that the teenager as actually stopping to think about it, and weigh all the options. If Geethanjali was going to answer, it would be a calculated one. That alone told Rowena that the girl was mature, not that that was surprising. Geethanjali had gone through situations in life that even adults would have difficulty facing. Being a werewolf in a family of druid heritage (adopted or not) was a trial Rowena would never wish upon anyone. While the Roots were far more open minded then most druids (because of their constant marriages with non druids), most druids were not.

Geethanjali finally answered, though it wasn't really an answer. It was a question. Rowena smiled. "I'll be going to meet them later this week," she answered. The Muggle Prime Minister was one that always knew about the magical world. "No doubt they have whiplash from all the Minister of Magic changes. But thankfully I will be the one to bring them good news." After all, she was the on that could say the Purifier leader was, most certainly dead.

[geethanjali amaryllis root]

June 2, 2026

If she were the Muggle Prime Minister, Geethanjali thought to herself, having to meet so many Ministers for Magic in such a short span of time must have been incredibly confusing—and probably unnerving, too. They had to have some idea of what was going on, she assumed. The Muggles might have been oblivious to some things—a lot of things—but there were lots of decisions that had to be made on either side. At least magic was confusing enough to the Muggles that they didn't try to get themselves involved in the magical world. It was bad enough that things were the way they were between Hy-Brasil and the Ministry—or at least how they had been. Now, finally, there was some hope that her Aunt Rowena could help put things back together again.

Her aunt answered her to say that she would be meeting with the Muggle Prime Minister later that week, and Geethanjali nodded. It was good, in a way, that she wasn't trying to tackle everything all in one day. As much as there was to be rectified based on Ministers past, all those things hadn't happened in a day, so they couldn't be fixed in a day, either, even with all the resources that her aunt now had available to her.

"Brilliant," Geethanjali replied, glad that her aunt hadn't forgotten about dealing with the Muggles amidst the absolute madness that was the magical world at that point in time. "And then we'll get stronger werewolves' rights protections?" she checked eagerly, hoping that her aunt understood that she also knew how much was now in her hands. She didn't doubt that her Aunt Rowena would try her best to make that happen in any case, but she also didn't want her to forget that it was something that was needed. It wasn't just a personal favor to her niece, Geethanjali knew, even though she didn't really like the thought that the media would probably make it seem like that's what it was. Other people stood to benefit—many of them even more significantly than she did.

Geethanjali wasn't fully teasing her aunt, but she did change her tone from sounding quite as naïve. "Really, Auntie Row," she started, looking more intently at Rowena. "I know everything is really awful right now, but you'll be a wonderful Minister." All of her trying to butter her aunt up cast aside, Geethanjali meant it. Her aunt was a good person, and she'd been an excellent diplomat; she'd make an even better Minister. "And I'm proud of you." She was proud of her for how hard she had worked to get where she was and that she hadn't backed down from how daunting it must have seemed to run an entire government.

@rowena